The Viewmaster
by Twilit Violet
Summary: UPDATED! TWO NEW CHAPTERS! Ever wonder where Pleakley got his Viewmaster? Well, it turns out he's been to Earth before! Remember Roswell, 1973? Pleakley doesn't, even though he was there... Confused? Curious? Then please, read and review!
1. CHAPTER ONE

Disclaimer: I do not own "Lilo and Stitch" or any of the characters therein, although the character of Pleakley's mother is essentially mine as _my _version of her differs greatly from that of the creators of _Lilo and Stitch: the series._ This is also the same Vay Pleakley as introduced in my other L&S fic, "Pleakley's Story." Also, the concept that Pleakley is an only child remains in firm standing in my stories.

THE VIEWMASTER

CHAPTER ONE

* * * *

Milky swirls of stardust zipped past the Federation spaceship as the slender, one-eyed alien stared sullenly out of one of its many portholes, deeply immersed in her thoughts. _Such a lovely little galaxy_, she mused. _So peaceful, so pretty._ She watched the swirl of stars and nebulae that made up this tiny, out-of-the-way system and wondered, for the umpteenth time, about the one habitable planet within it. In her mind's eye she tried to picture the creatures that dwelt upon Ee-arth, the dominant beings called humans in particular, and recalling from memory her father's descriptions of them and the story of his own trip to this planet that had inspired her to go into xenogalactic studies. Just as he had done, she had focused her studies on one galaxy in particular, and as there had only been one even remotely habitable planet in that galaxy, this had narrowed her field of interest even further. Now, as they neared the little planet, she quivered excitedly, for her years of training in the Federation's top academy were about to come to fruition. She was soon stirred from her reverie by an announcement over the intercom:

"WE ARE NOW APPROACHING EE-ARTH. ALL INDIVIDUALS ARE REQUIRED TO SECURE THEMSELVES TO THE NEAREST SAFETY HOLD FOR THE LANDING PROCEDURE." 

"That means us," the woman said out loud to the empty room, rising up on three rubbery legs and waddling over to the nearest wall and safety hold. Buckling herself in, she took a deep breath, preparing herself for that first rude jolt that usually accompanies the sudden velocity change required to enter or exit a planet's atmosphere. When it came nearly a minute later, it still succeeded in startling her, and automatically her hands flew down to cover the conspicuous bulge in her abdomen. She felt the frantic squirming of the life within and gave a pained smile. Only a few weeks left to go. _Just as soon as this mission is completed, I'll take maternity leave. And this time I mean it. The last two missions weren't nearly as important as this one is. I've lasted THIS long, and I know I can last even longer. We both can._ Patting her stomach affectionately, Vay Pleakley took a second deep breath and braced herself for impact.

* * * *

"That was a rather rough landing… certainly a lot rougher than I would have expected. Odd, though; the density of this planet's atmosphere is hardly any different than Turo's. It couldn't possibly have caused such turbulence."

"Let's hope that the escape velocity is also like Turo's, or else we may be stranded on this pathetic rock."

The grand councilwoman of the Galactic Federation did not seem worried by this possibility. Instead, her thoughts seemed to be preoccupied with something else entirely.

"Ma'am?" a petty officer addressed her timidly. 

She looked down at the short pinkish female and said, "Where is Agent Pleakley? Has she reported to the bridge since we landed?"

The younger woman glanced around. "No, ma'am, apparently she hasn't. I don't know where she is. I haven't seen her in more than an hour."

"Where do you suppose she could be?" 

As if in answer to her question, Vay appeared, staggering into the main control room looking rather greener than usual.

"About time you showed up, Agent Pleakley!" the grand councilwoman said in a less than pleasant tone which she immediately regretted. A second glance at the pregnant woman told her that she had obviously been sick.

"I suppose the landing was a little too turbulent for you. My apologies. How are you feeling?"

Unable to judge how she really felt at that point, Vay merely shrugged and stared down at the floor. One hand rested tenderly over her swollen abdomen, while the other one rubbed the small of her back, which had begun to ache from the weight of the baby inside her. The grand councilwoman regarded her with a concerned look on her face before suggesting that she be seen by the ship's physician. 

"No, that's okay. I'm fine now," Vay assured her.

But the grand councilwoman was not convinced. "YOU may be fine, but what about your baby? Surely for ITS sake you will not refuse a simple examination, just to be on the safe side?"

Vay considered this only briefly before complying with her superior. Heading out of the control room toward the physician's quarters, Vay spun around and asked urgently, "You won't leave the ship while I'm in with the doctor, will you?"

At this, the grand councilwoman smiled. "Why, of course not! What would you have me do without the Ee-arth expertise of one of my top agents? I wouldn't so much as open the airlock without your prior approval. Rest assured, Agent Pleakley, this mission would be utterly fruitless without you."

* * * *

Vay emerged from the examination room ten minutes later with the doctor, a male of her own species, following close behind. Without hesitation, she marched straight up to the bridge, seeking out her superior. She found the grand councilwoman in the main control room, exactly where she had left her. The Federation leader broke off from her conversation with one of her colleagues to notice the odd look on the agent's face.

"How did the examination go? I pray you are fit enough to resume your duties."

"Well-," Vay began, but was cut off rather brusquely by the doctor. 

"I would strongly advise against any strenuous activity at this time, your highness. It would be risky enough for her to even set foot outside this ship. This is an uncharted planet, and although the air is breathable, there are likely to be numerous biohazards floating around out there. The turbulence we experienced in landing was bad enough, and Miss Pleakley and her baby are both very lucky not to have sustained any sort of trauma from it. It is in the best interest of both mother and child that she remain onboard and get plenty of bed-rest for the remainder of this mission."

For a long moment after the doctor finished speaking, there was silence. Then -

"Agent Pleakley is an integral part of this mission, Dr. Haanlaan. She knows more about this planet and what we are dealing with than all of us put together. Her evaluations are essential here, but if you really believe it is for the best, then we have no choice but to postpone the mission and return to Turo." 

The grand councilwoman sounded very disappointed. Shaking her head, she sighed and began to turn away, but stopped when Vay finally spoke up. 

"Now wait just a minute! There is absolutely no reason why we should have to postpone this! I did not travel twenty-three-thousand vorrmaks just to turn around and go home! I've been waiting my whole life for this mission, and I'm not about to miss it for anything!"

"Not even for the health of your child?" the doctor demanded coldly.

Vay turned her eye on him and narrowed it accusingly. "My baby is fine," she said flatly. "You may be a doctor, with years of schooling and a fancy diploma to prove it, but you're not the one who's carrying this kid. I _am_, and I know my baby's going to be okay on this mission. She's tough, and if I can handle it, then so can she." 

Turning to the grand councilwoman, she said firmly, "We're going," before heading out of the control room.


	2. CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

* * * *

"Oh, this isn't good. This isn't good at all."

There was a windswept silence as the alien party, led by Vay, descended from their ship out into the surrounding desert. Coarse yellow sand stretched for miles along a flat plain, ending at the sharp edge of a mountain range on the horizon. Clouds of dust flared up as dirt devils danced about. Two or three dust clouds in particular seemed to be drawing toward them at an alarming rate, far too fast and straight for the sluggish, zigzagging whirlwinds. Heat radiated up from the earth in ripples of vapor that distorted the air before them. It took a very long minute for them to realize what they were seeing. By the time they understood, it was too late; five military hummers screeched to a halt just twenty yards in front of their ship, followed closely by their respective dust clouds. Half a dozen peculiar creatures, clad identically in olive drab, poured out of each of the vehicles and ran toward them, their weapons raised. 

Vay cringed at the semi-automatic assault rifle that the nearest human was pointing at her. On instinct, she placed her hands protectively over her stomach. As if in response to her fear, the baby squirmed. Its panicked movement caused her to double over for a moment. Her insides writhed painfully from the combined movement of the baby and a sudden onset of morning sickness. For a horrifying instant, she thought they were going to die. There they were, minimally armed and surrounded by about thirty fierce and heavily armed beings, on a strange planet on the far side of the universe, with no clue what was to become of themselves. Vay Pleakley, the foremost 'expert' on this planet and its bizarre inhabitants, was at a loss. She could feel the eyes of her colleagues boring into the back of her head as they awaited her instruction. _Blitznak! Daddy never told me that humans were hostile! Of course, he never told me they had only two legs, either. _Knowing that everything that happened from this point on depended solely on her, Vay raised a hand in what she hoped would be taken as a friendly gesture, and slowly, every so slowly, moved one foot forward. The nearest human narrowed his eyes as his finger tightened around the trigger of his rifle. Vay dropped her hand back down over her stomach and made a face, hoping to project her feeling of fear to the strange being. She rubbed her stomach a little with one hand and watched as the human's eyes followed that motion. For a moment, there appeared to be a flicker of understanding on the man's face. 

__

Perhaps he sees that I'm pregnant, she thought, hoping this would earn her party some compassion before the humans went ballistic and opened fire on them. One of the men in the background, obviously a commanding officer to the others, let loose a garbled string of nonsensical gibberish in his native language. Vay tilted her head, puzzled, as she tried to understand his words. The past two nights spent hooked up to the translator (a device which subliminally implanted the knowledge of alien languages into the brain during one's sleep cycle) had apparently not been as productive as she had hoped. There was so very little known about this planet's inhabitants, it was quite probable that they had picked up a different dialect, or perhaps a different language entirely, that was not of the particular region they had landed in. But when the human nearest her vocalized his reply, her antenna perked up. She understood him!

"No, sir. I don't think so. I think she's pregnant."

In her excitement, Vay leapt up off of all three feet and shouted "Yes!" startling several humans, and even the grand councilwoman, as she did so. 

Suddenly calm, she looked directly at the man who had just spoken and said, very slow and clear, "Yes. I. Am. Pregnant." 

The entire herd of humans stood staring at her in disbelief. Several were now murmuring amongst themselves, though not a single one bothered to lower their weapons. In fact, some looked more eager than ever to put a bullet in her belly. This she realized with a fresh pang of fear. She patted her stomach again, making big, circular motions with her hand. 

"Baby," she said, a note of tenderness in her voice. 

Racking her brain for the desired words, she turned a pleading eye on the nearest man and swept it across the entire group. "Please. Please. Do not - do not death. Not kill. Baby. Please." 

The nearest man, the one who had spoken, lowered his rifle. There was a strange look on his alien face, though alien as it was, Vay was sure that she could interpret it as compassion. A moment of silence swept over them all with a hot wind, before the human commander barked out another string of gibberish which Vay again failed to understand. She knew she could have understood him if only he had spoken more clearly and slowly, as the other man had. All she knew was that the stunned look on this man's face following his superior's enunciation indicated something appalling. She had no time to wonder what had been said, for suddenly she was being advanced upon by three buff and fierce-looking humans. Petrified, Vay took three steps backward in retreat, one for each foot, and stumbled, falling flat on her patooki. As the men swooped down on her, she shrieked, curling up in a fetal position, her hands and head pressed protectively against her abdomen.

"NO! NEVER! NOT KILL BABY! NO!"

The rest of her shouts became an incoherent tangle of Turian and English. Hearts pounding painfully in her throat, Vay Pleakley waited for death to claim her. For countless long seconds she waited, and when it did not come, she moved her arm slightly in order to peek up at her assailants. Not a single one of them was paying any attention to her. In fact, all the humans appeared to have halted in their tracks and turned to look at something that was coming towards them. Hearing the distinct whir and vroom of a motorized vehicle, Vay sat up just enough to get a glimpse through the forest of human legs and see a shining black Ferrari pull up alongside one of the hummers. The thirty-odd military men stood straight and attentively as two figures emerged from opposite sides of the vehicle. Both humans appeared to be male, and both wore identical black suits and dark shades over their eyes. The larger of the two men, a very buff and intimidating male with dark skin, walked over to the commanding officer and began speaking to him in low tones. He pulled something out of his suit pocket, flipped it open, and flashed it. Vay saw a quick glint of gold and knew that it had to be a badge of some sort. Who was this man? 

"CIA!" the dark man said out loud, turning to face not only the military, but the aliens as well.

"We'll take it from here."


	3. CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

* * * *

Negotiations between the Earthlings and the Turians lasted late into the afternoon. Long gray shadows had fallen across the desert before it seemed they were finally coming to a sort of mutual understanding of each other. Vay had been relieved when the grand councilwoman had dismissed her from the proceedings. Stressful as the day had been, it was not over yet, and the young woman knew she would be needed again. Until then, she decided to go back to her room and rest. On her way down to the women's dormitories, she passed by Dr. Haanlaan, who insisted on giving her a follow-up examination. 

"What now?" she demanded coolly. "Didn't get your dirty fingers far enough up my _kwazuunga_ the last time?" 

Dr. Haanlaan looked scandalized by this remark. "Really, now, Agent Pleakley! That is quite uncalled for! My sole purpose on this mission is to ensure the health and safety of both you and your baby, and so far you have made it way more difficult than it needs to be! I would think that you of all people would find your baby to be a top priority, and certainly not to be joked about or brushed off with vulgarities."

"My baby IS my top priority, and don't you dare try to imply that I don't care, because you couldn't be further from the truth. I just don't see the necessity of a follow-up exam, especially when things have been going so smoothly since we landed. Now if you'll excuse me, Dr. Haanlaan, I was just on my way to my dorm to follow your earlier suggestion and get some rest."

The doctor sighed as she brushed past him. "Your baby may not be as healthy as you think, Agent Pleakley," he said quietly.

Vay spun around and looked at him questioningly.

"What do you mean?" she demanded. "You said everything appeared to be fine!"

"Well, yes, but -"

"And now you're trying to tell me it's not?"

The doctor cringed slightly from the anger in her tone.

"Well, yes and no. You see, during the examination, I noticed some - _abnormalities_. I didn't want to say anything earlier because I was hoping that they were merely side effects from the landing trauma. I'm praying that's all they are, because these same abnormalities may also be symptoms of something serious, something that could easily threaten the life of your baby. That's why I wanted to do a follow-up; to make sure everything's all right."

Startled by this news, Vay cast her eye to the floor, silent in thought. Once again her delicate hands slid tenderly over her middle, as if to give comfort to the life within. For a long moment she remained speechless, although her mind was a roaring ocean of thoughts and prayers and curses and concerns. _No, no, no. My baby HAS to be okay! I've been careful. I've done everything I'm supposed to do during pregnancy. It can't go wrong now. It just can't. I love my baby already, and I WON'T let anything happen to it! _She looked up at Dr. Haanlaan and nodded.

"Okay, Doc. Let's go make sure."

* * * *

For the second time that day, Vay lay on her back on the examination table, taking deep, calming breaths as the doctor's hands and various monitoring equipment wandered over her. After nearly half an hour, the physical was completed. Vay jumped down from the table to redress while Dr. Haanlaan reviewed the final results of the exam. His silence bothered her, as did the expression on his face. It was unreadable. He appeared so immersed in his thoughts that he did not even notice her standing in front of him. She cleared her throat loudly to get his attention. When he finally looked up at her, she tensed, suddenly afraid to hear the results. As if in answer to her unasked question, Dr. Haanlaan uttered a single word:

"Inconclusive."

"What?"

"The results are inconclusive. While I continue to see the abnormalities - irregular heartbeats, underdevelopment of the garvoplixxus gland, rudosulphitassium deficiency, the palaglibmus duvius functioning at only 75% capacity - I cannot make a definite diagnosis at this point. These problems are all borderline - they are not immediately life-threatening. However, once this baby is born, it will be needing constant medical attention and hormone treatments for the first several months of its life, or else -"

Unwilling to finish his sentence, Dr. Haanlaan glanced dejectedly at the floor. Vay's eye widened in horror at the implication of losing her baby. She racked her mind frantically for something to say to fill in the ugly silence that followed.

"But - she'll be okay _then_, won't she? After the treatments?"

"Most likely, but the first year is going to be very perilous. If it survives to see its first birthday, then I've no doubt it will be on its way to living a normal and productive life." 

"But what about right now? She's alright for _now_, isn't she?"

"Oh, yes," the doctor said, sounding a bit more confident. "Your baby should be fine for the rest of the pregnancy. Your body is still doing most of the work, but once it's born, its system is going to have to start fully working for itself. But with the various abnormalities I noted, it's going to need a lot of help, probably starting immediately after birth. You _are_ planning to have this baby in an appropriate birthing facility, I assume?"

Vay nodded.

"Good. As long as you don't go into labor while we're stuck on this planet, then you two are all set."

Vay smiled. "Well, seeing as I have nearly three weeks left to go, that's not very likely to happen." She patted her stomach affectionately. "Although she's been squirming around a lot lately like she can't wait to come out. She must be awfully cramped in there, poor thing. But she's just going to have to wait."

Dr. Haanlaan gave her a crooked smile. "You keep calling it a she. Are you really sure it's a girl? From what I've seen, I don't think it is, though sometimes it's hard to tell."

"Well, I don't know for _sure_, but I have a feeling it is. It's hard to explain, but it has a sort of feminine feel to it. I'm pretty sure it's a girl, but I won't know until it's born. Of course, I don't care what it is, as long as it's healthy, but I'll be very surprised if it turns out to be a boy."


	4. CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

* * * *

It had only been an hour since Agent Vay had been dismissed by the grand councilwoman when she was being called upon again for her 'Ee-arth expertise.' Re-entering the meeting room, Vay paused nervously at the sight of the two dark-suited humans. Both men sat together at one end of a large, circular stainless steel table, directly opposite from the grand councilwoman and three other aliens, each one an ambassador and a member of the Galactic Council. With a slight gesture, one of them beckoned her to come forward, then pulled out a chair for her to sit on. Slowly, she complied, watching the humans from the corner of her eye. Even inside the ship, they still wore their shades. Though she could not see their eyes, she had the distinct feeling that they were observing her closely. 

She climbed up into her seat (which was a little high given that she was the shortest individual aboard the ship) and gazed unconcernedly across the table. Without looking directly at them, she studied the humans' features. The man on the left was an unremarkable being of very pale skin and short, sandy-brown hair slicked straight back. He appeared so plain that Vay did not think she could pick him out among even a handful of humans, but the man on the right… Tall, dark-skinned, muscular and intimidating to look at, this was no ordinary human.

"Agent Pleakley, I assume?"

Vay was startled to hear the dark man speak her name. Neither one of them had so much as looked at her earlier, let alone attempted to address her as _he _was doing now. 

"Yes?" she said timidly, suddenly realizing that she did not know either man's name.

"I am - Vay Pleakley. And you -?"

"Bubbles," the dark man replied, tilting his sunglasses in order to peer over them at her. "Agent Marion Bubbles."

Vay nodded. "Pleasure."

"Yes," said Agent Bubbles flatly, surprised at her lack of curiosity in his name. Perhaps 'bubbles' did not translate; all the aliens had appeared to be struggling with the English language, or perhaps it did not seem strange at all for someone to bear such a name. Either way, it was a nice change, not having the person you were just introduced to do a double-take over your crazy ancestor's choice of legacy.

"We are members of the CIA - Central Intelligence Agency. We are currently investigating a series of extraterrestrial encounters and UFO sightings in this general area. Your superior -" he said, nodding toward the grand councilwoman "tells me that you are one of the universe's foremost experts on this planet. Is that correct?"

Vay blushed. "Well, sorta…"

Agent Bubbles tipped his shades again. "Sorta?"

"Well, what I mean is, I _am _an expert, as far as my work in the Federation is concerned, but of course I don't know nearly as much about Ee-arth as _you_ do, seeing as you live here."

For a moment everyone, including Vay, looked surprised at her sudden mastery of English, although it wasn't really as surprising as it would seem. She had spent many nights hooked up to a translator in order to teach herself human languages; over two dozen different ones, to be exact, but because she had no immediate use for that knowledge, it had all fallen into vague remembrance in the back of her mind. Until today. As she had begun to feel more and more at ease among the humans, her tongues had loosened and she had begun to communicate with them as naturally as she did in her native Plorginaar. The rest of her ship mates had not been as lucky, as they had not bothered with subliminal language learning until their ship had departed from Turo. Agent Bubbles regarded the young woman with a mild interest. 

"First of all, the planet's name is Earth. And second, I am curious as to how you acquired your knowledge of it. Have you been to this planet before?"

"No, sir. I haven't, but my father has. And my aunt and cousin. A few other relatives have also, but this is my first mission to Ee uhhh - Earth."

"Then I take it your family taught you what you know?"

Vay nodded. Inside her, the baby fidgeted.

Agent Bubbles continued. "Tell me, Agent Pleakley, do you know anything about the mosquito?"

"Mos- what?"

"Mosquito. It's an insect."

Vay shook her head, then added "No," as an afterthought, in case the human did not understand her gesture.

Simultaneously, the two men stood up, startling their extraterrestrial guests. For the first time, the pale man spoke. 

"Would you mind stepping outside for a moment?" he asked. "We have something to show you."

* * * *

Outside in the desert twilight, the atmosphere was tranquil, sleepy. The once blindingly bright sands had dulled to a cool gray. The sky was a deep indigo with pale gold dying on the horizon. A few stars had come out, and as the night descended a little breeze brushed by, relaxing them as they exited the stuffy interior of the ship. The military had long gone, and it was as silent as space outside, save for the nearby chirp of a solitary cricket. Waddling down the ramp, Vay glanced about cautiously before stepping out onto the desert sand. It took a long moment for her eye to adjust to the dim light. For an even longer moment, everyone stood still and silent, obviously expectant of something. Vay wanted to ask what was going on, but thought it best to keep quiet and let someone else voice the questions that were now weighing on all the aliens' minds. But before she could stop herself, Agent Pleakley let out a yelp as something stung her neck. Automatically her hand flew up to swat at the source of the prick. Her sensitive antenna picked up the shrill whine of something either far away or very tiny, before she felt a similar sting on the antenna itself. She yelped again.

Agent Bubbles looked at her questioningly. "Something wrong?"

"I'm -" (swat) "- being attacked by something!" (swat) "OUCH!"

"Mosquitos."

(swat) "Huh?"

"Mosquitos. They drink blood."

"I see." Vay grumbled irritably, swatting at yet another one biting her cheek. "Is this what you wanted to show us?"

She turned to look at her colleagues. Aside from the grand councilwoman and one of the other council members, none of them appeared to be bothered by the mosquitoes. In fact, even those two did not seem to be very annoyed by them. Then she looked at the CIA agents. Their intermittent flinches told her they were also getting bitten, but still not nearly as much as _she _was.

"What's with these things?!" she demanded, waving her arms around to ward them off. "Why aren't they attacking anyone else?"

"Apparently they are attracted to you. You must have something in your blood that they like," Bubbles explained. 

"Well -" (swat) "they're not venomous or anything, are they?"

"No, but they have been known to carry diseases."

Vay stopped in mid-swat and gaped at him. "Diseases?!! Like, _deadly_ diseases?"

Bubbles shrugged. "Occasionally, although it's highly unlikely that any of _these_ mosquitoes are diseased."

Vay was unconvinced. The possibility had already horrified her.

"Well, likely or not, I can't stay out here a minute longer with that risk. I'm pregnant, you know, and Dr. Haanlaan's going to be all over me for allowing myself to get bitten by these things."

But just as she was turning to go back into the ship, her attention was caught by a speck of light in the distance, a light as far and tiny as a star, but growing bigger and brighter by the second. It was quickly followed by more lights, all lined up horizontally against the dark silhouettes of the mountains. The roar of engines told them what it was, and they all froze. It was the military. They were back. Agent Bubbles and his partner turned to the aliens and shouted at them to get back into their ship before they arrived, but it was too late. From out of nowhere a helicopter appeared, swooping low over their ship as it beamed its day-bright searchlight on them. From up above, a voice boomed over a megaphone: 

"EVERYONE REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE AND PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR! ANY ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE OR RESIST WILL BE MET WITH AN IMMEDIATE OPEN-FIRE. YOU ARE NOW IN THE CUSTODY OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY POLICE, WHO WILL BE TRANSPORTING YOU TO THE NEAREST DETAINMENT FACILITY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE."


	5. CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

* * * *

In the short twenty minutes since their arrest, a thousand things seemed to have happened. There had been a struggle, yes, but despite their warning, the MP's did not open fire on the aliens. Realizing that _of course_, they would want them alive at all costs, the aliens took advantage of this and put up as much of a resistance as possible before they were finally forced into submission. In her condition, Agent Pleakley could do little without fear of endangering her baby, though she still managed to put up a valiant fight, employing her many skills in military training and martial arts, before finally surrendering to the sudden pain in her abdomen. When she had collapsed on the ground, whimpering, the MP's did not at first know what to do with her. A live alien was already quite a commodity, but a _pregnant _alien! Well, of course they weren't about to harm her, once they realized what the big bulge in her middle indicated. Too afraid and in pain now to resist, Vay had allowed herself to be lifted up and strapped to a makeshift gurney and then placed in the back of one of the MP's jeeps. After that it was a rough five-to-ten-minute drive through dark desert to a small reserve, literally in the middle of nowhere.

Now, shortly after being unloaded and crammed into several small detainment cells, the aliens waited while the CIA agents took their case before the MP's first in command. Of the eighteen aliens who had gone on this mission, all but four had been captured. These four had, at the grand councilwoman's orders, remained aboard the ship at all times, so that in the event of an emergency, such as they were now in, there would be someone at the ship's controls to send out an SOS to the Federation's military fleet. As far as the prisoners knew, a squadron was already on its way to Earth to rescue them. In spite of such a comforting thought, there were other worries starting to surface. For one, Vay had not fully recovered from her struggle with the MP's. They had been brutal to her at first, until they had realized she was pregnant. After she had surrendered, she had gone remarkably quiet, unresponsive to everything even as she lay in a detainment cell with three of her colleagues. Dr. Haanlaan studied her from the next cell, interrogating her loudly and demanding answers to his questions, even personal ones like "How's your _kwazuunga_ feeling?"

But Vay remained curled up in the corner, mumbling only that she was fine and insisting that it had been no more than another episode of morning sickness. Being a doctor, Haanlaan was not convinced. He knew that something was wrong, and she knew he knew. Why she wouldn't admit to it was anybody's guess, though the three other aliens who shared her cell did not wish to bother her as Haanlaan was obviously doing. Instead, they gave her as much space as was possible and allowed her the single hard bunk in the back of the cell. For countless long minutes she lay still and silent facing the wall, eye and mind closed defiantly against her surroundings. If only Dr. Haanlaan had been in the same cell with her, he would have noticed right away her flushed face, clammy skin and labored breathing. If he had, then he would have realized just how bad it was. Thus far Vay had done her best to hide her pain from him, but as it worsened, she could no longer convince anyone that she was really okay… not even herself. As the fragile life within her writhed like tortured flame, she knewthat something was wrong. Very wrong.

* * * *

It had been nearly an hour since their incarceration when the fourteen alien prisoners were approached by a pair of MP's. Together, the two humans unlocked the door to one of the cells and stepped inside, weapons drawn and aimed point blank at Agent Pleakley's head as they ordered her to come with them. Slowly, because she was still in pain, she complied, sliding off the bunk and padding gingerly out of the cell after the two men. Haanlaan started to protest, but one of the men silenced him with a threatening gesture and a short, ugly-sounding string of words that Vay did not understand but assumed to be obscenities. 

"Don't worry. We'll be fine," she said quietly, face to the ground as she passed by his cell. As they left the detainment area and turned right down a long empty corridor, Vay took several deep breaths to still her rapidly beating hearts. The baby's movements had ceased momentarily, a fact for which she was very grateful. The pain inside her was now no more than a dull throb in her lower abdomen, and compared to what it had been only minutes before, she could definitely deal with that. Strangely calm in the midst of this alien hostility, Vay marched obediently down the hall with her escorts close behind until they reached a small steel door at the end of it. The door opened outward as they approached it, and standing just on the other side of it were three more humans, waiting for her. A sudden jolt of fear went through her body like an electrical shock, and she halted in her tracks. One of the MP's jabbed her sharply in the back with the tip of his weapon, and she started forward again, now extremely reluctant. Her hearts began to race again as she neared the room. She had heard stories; hideous, unspeakable things these primitive creatures were reputed to have done to alien beings like herself, beings that were not supposed to exist, much less make themselves known. Vay glanced about frantically for some means of escape; there were none. She looked again at the men inside the room. Two of them were wearing identical white lab coats, while the third was dressed in a familiar all-black ensemble… Agent Bubbles?!!

Terrified and now very confused, she walked straight into the room without making eye contact with any of the humans. The room was featureless save for some cabinets mounted on the walls, a stool, and a stainless steel-topped table. One glance at the table and the restraints on its sides caused her hearts to wrench. They were going to dissect her! Suddenly very sick, Vay wrapped her arms tightly around her middle and double over. Her legs turned to Jell-O and she keeled onto the cold cement floor, sobbing and shuddering. _Why didn't I see this coming? It's so obvious! They want my baby! They're going to cut me open and take it from me! I have to get out of here!!! _Overcome with feelings both physical and emotional, Vay was unable to move, even as the two scientists reached down and lifted her up onto the table, strapping her to it securely. Barely able to think, Agent Pleakley looked out of the corner of her eye to where the CIA agent was standing, half concealed in shadows and nearly outside of her line of vision. Bubbles stood as still as stone, his expression unreadable, his dark shades conveniently in place. _Why isn't he doing anything?!! He said he was here to help us! He said we could trust him! And now he's going to let them dice me up?!! The bastard!!!_ Screaming though she was on the inside, Vay remained absolutely quiet, though she could not stop a loud sob from escaping her. She did not even bother to beg for mercy - she knew it would do no good. 

A bright light came on directly above her, so bright it was blinding. One of the scientists stood next to the table on one side while the other approached from the opposite side bearing a metal tray. Though she could not see what was on the tray, she could hear the distinct clattering of small metal instruments - dissection tools. Setting it down on the table behind her head, the man selected a tweezers-like tool and lifted it up near her antenna. As the other doctor turned to dismiss the MP's, Vay felt the instrument brush through her long brown hair until it touched her scalp, then a sharp pain as the tweezers closed and yanked out several strands of hair by the roots. She yelped, startling the men. Both scientists looked down at her in surprise. Vay stared back at them, equally surprised. _It's as if they don't think I can feel! _ Enraged by this thought, she took a deep breath and started screaming. She cursed the humans in English, Turian, German, French, and even her native Plorginaar. Anything that popped into her head, she spat vehemently at them. Adding to her own demonic image, Vay began to thrash about, struggling valiantly against her restraints until they cut into her flesh. Pain flared up in her abdomen again, the baby thrashing as violently as its mother. One of the men disappeared for a moment, returning with another instrument in hand. Vay saw the vial of clear liquid and the long needle attached to it and knew what it was. Still more angry than she was terrified, she did not let up in her struggle even as the man bent over her with the syringe. The second man grabbed hold of two of her legs and held them down. The first man selected a spot on her thigh and wiped it with a sterile cloth before sticking her with the needle. Vay barely felt the prick, but gasped loudly as she watched the contents of the syringe empty slowly into her. A strange, cool calming feeling, almost euphoric, swept over her in a wave, and every muscle in her body relaxed until they felt like they had melted. Vay giggled at the tingling sensation from the tranquilizer, then smiled serenely at the sight of Agent Bubbles emerging in slow motion out of the shadows. She watched, uncomprehending as the dark man drew out a gun and brought it down in a blur over the needle-man's head before turning to punch the other man square in the face. Then he looked right at her and opened his mouth, but all that came out was gibberish. Vay was suddenly sleepy, but she managed to keep her eye open just long enough to see him leaning over her, undoing her restraints and then lifting her up into his massive arms.


	6. CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SIX

* * * *

When Vay awoke nearly half an hour later, she found herself lying on the backseat of a four-wheeled Earth vehicle and covered with a large, black coat. She sat up slowly and looked around. It was dark. A low mumble caught her attention and she gasped when she realized that she was not alone inside the vehicle. Hearing her gasp, the human in the driver's seat glanced over his shoulder at her and she recognized him immediately. Agent Bubbles! 

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, but just then Vay had several pressing questions of her own, and the first thing she did was demand to know what was going on. Agent Bubbles explained, everything from rescuing her from the lab to driving down this lonely stretch of road. 

"Things didn't go exactly as planned," he told her. "My colleagues and I had everything worked out to bail you and your friends out of that hellhole, but when they took you into the lab, the plan fell flat and we had to improvise. I volunteered to oversee your 'examination' in order to rescue you, but the rest of your crew isn't going to be as easy to liberate. We've got about a dozen agents back at the base who are working to save them right now. We set up a rendezvous point out in the middle of the desert. That's where we're headed." 

Vay accepted his explanation without question and they drove on in silence. There were too many things going through her mind just then to allow her to converse with the man. Shivering, she picked up the coat that he had covered her with earlier and wrapped it around herself. She had so many questions, but she couldn't possibly know which to ask first. Things were so much more complicated now than she could ever have expected them to be. Everything she had ever been told about this planet and its inhabitants had been called into question since the moment they landed. And now - now they were trapped, held captive by a hostile alien species still living in the dark ages, and it was all her fault. _God, how could I be so naïve?_

She felt the faint stirring of the baby and wrapped the warm coat protectively around her womb, sobbing. _I'm so sorry, little one. Your mother is a fool. A reckless, good-for-nothing idiot who put her child in danger for the sake of her career. Haanlaan was right; I should have taken maternity leave a long time ago. But I swear, I will NEVER let anything bad happen to you. I'll see you safely into the universe, or die trying._

Almost expecting a response, Vay slid a hand over her belly and rubbed it in a gentle clockwise motion, but the baby lay still now, and she sighed. At least the pain had gone. What remained there now was only a dull throb, the kind that threatened to flare up at any given second, or not do anything at all.

Vay lay back down on the seat and closed her eye. Riding smoothly over flat, featureless desert created a tranquil sensation that soon relaxed her, so much so that before she knew it, she was sound asleep once again.

***_Bright. Blinding white light like a sun glared through her closed eyelid, the heat of its source uncomfortably close to her face. Warm. Opening her eye, she saw nothing but white. A blurred motion. Figures moving toward her, over her. Hovering menacingly. Humans. Ghostly, faceless creatures bearing down on her, steel claws in place of fingers, slashing, ripping, opening her up. The stench of fresh entrails and the sound of flesh tearing, and something else… a baby's first cry, silenced. Her body emptying in a gush like the breaking of a dam. Drowning… drowning in terror, in pain…A life snuffed out in its womb… stolen, devoured, destroyed…taken.***_

"NOOO!!!" Vay awoke from the nightmare sitting bolt upright and screaming. Breathing heavily, she looked around the car to find that Agent Bubbles was gone. She crawled to the window and peered out, trembling. The dark tinting in the glass made it rather difficult to see outside. There was nothing but dark desert out there, as far as she could tell. Dark, dark desert and not a single light for miles. Where was Bubbles?!! Terrified, she curled up into a ball and pulled the coat over her head. She was awake now, but the nightmare was not over. Pain blossomed inside her once again and she moaned. That must have been what had awakened her. If only she weren't alone at that moment. Something was wrong. She could deny it no longer. _It shouldn't be hurting like this! _The baby gave a sharp kick and Vay let out a yelp in response. She knew she needed help, but Dr. Haanlaan was miles away, and now even Agent Bubbles was nowhere to be found. She had to do something. She had to find help. Sitting up a little, she reached a hand out toward the nearest door and felt about blindly for a knob or button or latch, anything that would open it. Her fingers felt various objects, all of which she tried pulling and pushing and turning and jiggling, but to no avail. Trying the other door yielded no results, either. But she wasn't about to give up. There were still the front doors to try.

With considerable effort she pulled herself over the back of the front seat and tried first the front passenger door, then the driver's side door. No luck. Anxious now, Vay began to run her hands frantically over every surface of the vehicle's interior in hope of finding something that would help her. The car was completely empty save for a large metal flashlight lying on the floor under the front passenger's seat. This she picked up without hesitation and began beating it against the window. The glass was strong, though not quite as strong as she had expected it to be. She was accustomed to spacecrafts, whose windows were typically made of very thick, shatter-resistant glass. After pummeling the window with the flashlight a few times, it gave in. Panting now from her efforts, Vay clambered out of the vehicle and fell with a soft _blump! _on the ground outside. She picked herself up then and turned to inspect the damages she had just caused. _Ooh, Bubbles is gonna be pissed when he sees this!_ Ashamed as she was, Vay convinced herself that she had had no choice, and if that CIA agent really _was_ looking out for her and her baby, then he would understand. The only question remaining was why he had gone away, and where.

Outside of the vehicle, Vay could see much better. The deep blue sky filled with stars was bright against the velvet blackness of the horizon. The planet's single, nameless moon was not out tonight, and so it would be difficult finding her way without stumbling. Remembering the flashlight, she felt around for it with her feet until she found it a short distance away lying in the sand. She had inadvertently flung it out of the window as she was breaking it. Praying that the flashlight itself hadn't been broken, she flicked the switch and breathed a sigh of relief to see that it was still functional, albeit a little dim. Its beam did not travel more than twenty or thirty feet, but it was enough to see her safely through the desert without injuring herself. Though she had absolutely no idea where to go or what to do, Vay knew that she must find someone, someone who could help. She walked around to the other side of the car to find a trail of shoeprints leading away from the driver's side door and out into the desert. Perhaps if she followed them, she would find Agent Bubbles. Gazing out into the darkness where the shoeprints led, Vay felt a tiny twinge of fear. Who knew what lay out there, beyond the safe shelter of the car? The more she stood there thinking about the infinite possibilities, the more her fear grew, and the less she wanted to venture the unknown. But for the sake of her unborn baby, she would do this. She had already reasoned that sitting around waiting for help to show up was far more risky than going out to find that help herself. 

The baby squirmed anxiously inside her, eliminating the last of her doubts. Flashlight in hand, Vay Pleakley took a deep breath and walked determinedly out into the desert.

Ten minutes later, Agent Bubbles returned to find his car vandalized and his pregnant protégé missing.

* * * *

I have some adorable pics of a newborn Pleakley and his mother by yours truly - available upon request!


	7. CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER SEVEN

There was no telling how far Vay had wandered when she finally gave up and collapsed to the ground in despair. All she felt sure of was that the baby's painful thrashing was telling her that something was wrong, and there was no help to be found in this dark, deserted wasteland. Bubbles had abandoned her, and Dr. Haanlaan and the other members of her crew were probably still locked up back at the military base. Who knew how far away that was. She knew that she should just turn around and go back to the car, but even it seemed light years away.

Frustrated by this planet and everything on it, and frustrated more by the throbbing pain in her womb, Vay lay sobbing in the sand, fighting back the urge to scream. For several minutes she sat in dark silence, collecting her thoughts and resting. The flashlight had been turned off long ago to preserve the batteries, but when a small noise made her jump to her feet and flick it back on, it died. The bulb gave out a faint beam, then snuffed out like a candle. Frantic, Vay flicked the switch on and off repeatedly, hoping it was only a short circuit. When that didn't work, she beat it a few times against the sandy ground, but to no avail.

She heard the noise again, and her antenna pricked up. A shrill hum, like electricity, either very faint or far away. _A mosquito? No. _Vay reached up to brush the hair away from her antenna. This allowed better reception. A soft breeze blew downwind, carrying the noise with it. Was it her imagination, or was it growing louder? No. Yes! It was! It sounded like a massive flock of mosquitoes, heading her way. But it couldn't be… could it? No. It had to be something else. Something far, far larger than a mosquito… a helicopter?

From just beyond the ridge of the mountains it came - two of them, to be exact. Twin beams of blinding, day-bright searchlights seared the ground as they headed in her direction. Terrified, Vay climbed to her feet and attempted to run, but the pain in her middle and her overall condition made it difficult to move faster than a brisk walk. She headed back in the direction of Agent Bubbles' car. Behind her, the helicopters split up and started going in two separate directions. The lights had not yet found the alien woman, but as they flew over her - one on each side so that she was surrounded - the beams swept back and forth and for a fleeting instant, one of them lit on her. Vay froze and sucked in a deep breath, but they did not appear to have seen her.

As the desert was gradually illuminated around her, Vay saw that there was nowhere she could hide - no bushes, no rocks… nothing but an endless plain of gently undulating dunes. She collapsed on the ground again, panting as she watched the helicopters continue their search. Far off in the distance, she thought she saw the glint of light on something metal, as one of the searchlights lit on something. The car! Or was it? It was so far away that Vay had to squint her eye to be sure. The light paused over the little speck, and the helicopter it came from hovered in the air there while the other one turned and started back toward Vay.

Hearts racing, Vay was barely on her feet when the blinding light washed over her. Without even thinking, Vay made a mad dash toward the car. As if sensing her, the second helicopter's light was lifted up from the car and now pointed toward her. Vay spun around and started running in a new direction, and for a few moments she was out of the range of the two lights. Unfortunately, they quickly caught up with her. Overwhelmed with exhaustion, anger, pain and fear, Vay fell sprawling in the sand, panting and sobbing, as the helicopters circled her and the light burned down on her, consuming her like flame.

Light. Blindingly bright. Impossibly white. Burning… burning…. No escape. Through closed eyelid… light. Through darkness of despair… light. Through pain and grief and nothingness… light. Everywhere, there was light. And it was not good. Light was supposed to be warming, healing… loving… good. This was not. Light is not merely an absence of darkness. Light is a presence. A quality. A thing in itself. Whatever this brightness was, it was not light. No. Darkness. It was darkness, reversed, like a negative. And in its emptiness, there were feelings. Bad feelings. And beings. Bad beings. These were present, but they did not fill the emptiness, for they were negatives also. Only negatives, one superimposed over another. They did not fill each other…

Vay woke up screaming from the nightmare, only to find that the nightmare was there waiting for her when she awoke. And so was the light. It assailed her. She tried to move, but couldn't. She thrashed hysterically for a moment, then quickly gave up and lay still, gasping for air and choking down sobs. When her thoughts and vision cleared, she realized that she was strapped to a stainless steel table, just like the one back at the military base.

Craning her head from side to side, her limited view of the room around her confirmed that she had been brought back to that same exact place. Her head spun. She felt like she was moving through water - through the fluidness of a dream. Her insides lurched painfully as she realized - she had never left the room in the first place! Or had she? Vay Pleakley wasn't sure of anything anymore.

A fresh wave of sickness washed over her, and she shuddered. The cold steel beneath her suddenly felt like ice. There was a faint reek of formaldehyde in the air, along with the smell of metal, and for the briefest of seconds, she thought she smelled blood. Out of the shadows in the corner of her eye, something moved. Vay jerked her head around as far as she could, and gasped. Two dark figures had appeared, and were moving toward her.


	8. CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT

Two tall creatures, obviously human, loomed over Vay's prostrate form. She could see very little of their faces, concealed as they were by surgical masks and caps. Only eyes stared out at her - eyes that were little more than hollow black holes that served as windows into a deep abyss, absent of soul. Other than that, everything was white. Too white. It was too bright here. Surely she would melt from the intense brightness and heat. Surely she would burn, dissolve, fade. Surely, surely, she would die. And the baby, too.

_My baby!_ All of a sudden, Vay understood. Everything that followed was a bleary haze of pain and fear and anger and hate. Sharp glints of light pierced the already brutal brightness of the room, and the evil sound of metal clattering against metal signified a tray set with surgical instruments. Words were being spoken, in a language Vay had once learned, but all she heard was gibberish. The baby squirmed inside her, bound and helpless in its womb, just as its mother lay bound and helpless on the table.

One of the humans walked around the table, all but circling her as he went to fetch something from a cabinet on the other side of the room. A cold wind went with him as he passed. Vay's sensitive antenna gave an involuntary twitch. The man came back, and bent over her, extending something that looked like measuring tape over her abdomen. He spoke to the other man, who then wrote something on a clipboard. The first man then proceeded to measure her lengthways, and as the measuring tape was laid against her body again, she realized she was naked.

Burning with shame and rage, Vay bit her tongues and tried to remain calm. It wasn't enough for them to treat her like an object - but this was adding insult to injury. Hers was one of few races throughout most of the universe that had taboos on public nudity. Humans obviously felt the same way about it, since all of the ones she had seen so far had been fully clothed. Of the few women she had seen, she had noted that their anatomy was not entirely different from her own. Anger and embarrassment made her face feel hot as the human male took her measurements, the cold measuring tape pressing against her naked breasts on more than one occasion.

When he was done, both men pulled on rubber gloves and began groping her from all angles, presumably as a crude means of studying her. They seemed in awe over her boneless, gelatinous structure and her single eye, which they insisted on peering into with an even brighter light than the one above their heads. They made a thorough job of inspecting every inch of her body - every nook and cranny - and she felt sure that it was only a matter of time before they reached her _kwazuunga._

Vay had been silent the whole time. She hadn't even struggled, except for when one of the men forced her mouth open and crammed something halfway down her throat until she gagged. She had been patient and cooperative, knowing full well what they might do to her if she wasn't. She had submitted herself to them. But as soon as she felt a hand between her legs, she began thrashing like a deranged beast, cursing colorfully in a number of Earthly and alien languages. Far from being daunted by this behavior, the two humans merely readjusted her leg restraints until her entire lower half was completely immobile and her _kwazuunga_ was fully exposed.

Panting furiously, Vay watched a large hand disappear between her legs, none too gentle as it explored forbidden territory. She seethed. A look of shock crossed the man's face, and he turned and said something to his colleague. The other man responded by placing both gloved hands over Vay's womb, feeling the baby's movements. His hands pressed hard against her belly, and the pressure was almost unbearable. Then he relented and went to stand beside the first man, watching as he continued his exploration of her nether regions. A sudden sharp pain made Vay gasp loudly, and the next thing she felt was the man's hand withdrawing, followed by the gush of warm fluid from between her legs.

The two humans backed away, looks of horror on their faces to match their alien captive's. One of them exclaimed something that sounded like a curse, then both of them moved out of her line of vision. A metal clattering was heard, along with something falling on the floor. Then more curses, followed by the sound of cabinets opening and closing. What Vay saw out of the corner of her eye was only a quick blur as the humans bustled about making preparations for something. The gush she'd felt downstairs had been reduced to a trickle, but she could still feel the warm fluid pooling underneath her. That was when she realized - now fully and undeniably - that the baby was on its way.


End file.
